Luray Cavern

On Friday on our Spring Break Stay-Cation, we hit Luray Cavern.

Very cool-stalagtites play a musical organ throughout the cave.

Anyone who's been to Luray will always remember the fried eggs.

Reflection-Dream Pool.

A Stalagtite poked my head!

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Between breathing treatments and a full dose of steroids for Austin's lungs, we made it out to DC for Spring Break.  

So nice to be with the family.  Nothing's better than when Daddy's home!

The Hope Diamond that Austin has his eyes on to get one day for his 'wife' Madeleine Delazcruz.

The GIANT SQUID was definitely a hit!  So much that that very night we went to the Cheesecake Factory to let the kids eat calamari...the verdict...they LOVED it!!

Spring Break-MISSION ABORT

Everything was set.  And this is Urgent Care clinic is where we ended up 4 hours later.  The car packed, mail/newspapers on hold, favorite snacks on board, dog at the kennel, house clean, Daddy came home.  It was SPRING BREAK 09'!  We were all packed up in the Odyssey and it was DISNEY WORLD or bust!  We left Friday afternoon.  Made it to Rocky Mt. North Carolina (4 hrs away) dvds jamming, when I heard the wheezing from deep in Austin's chest. 

 All night his asthma/breathing got worse.  104 fever developed.  Thin shallow breaths.  Urgent care bound. With a diagnoses of pneumonia, we turned right back around to Virginia.  (Although this Dr. did not know Austin's background of a narrow trachea, scar tissue damage in his throat due to past reflux, so really anyone who HEARS my kids would be frightened.)  But with a shot of penicillin in his toosh, a good dose of steroids, Z-pack, and a few breathing tx's, we were back in DC. 

 (But we did get some Bo-berry Biscuits on the way out)

Same day, upon arriving home, we had to go to the ER at the new Heathcote Health Center.  Two thumbs up.  Great care, staff, cleanliness.  Austin's x-ray was pneumonia free (I knew it...if I could have just been given some steroids and more breathing tx's we'd been flying high in Aladdin's magic carpet!)

But we felt very prompted to return home immediately.  We've all needed the comforts of home when you're sick and he's still getting large doses of steroids, antibiotics, and breathing treatments every4 hours around the clock.  That doesn't sound  like a trip for Disney to us!  So we have instead enjoyed being home together.  Dad hooked up the Wii for the first time in forever and Austin and Dad are having a great time playing each other downstairs. 

So we've decided this SPRING BREAK with Daddy being home we'd do a STAY-CATION!  We won't travel!  We'll go far enough around to have fun but nothing that would restrict Austin's need to be in quick ER care. So we'll keep you posted on what we do in the next few days of the kids and the dad's break . Jonathan leaves again Sunday the 12th.   BOOO!!!

It's been great having him home.

For our next adventures this trip I smell....Museum of Natural History!  Or....Luray Caverns...or Great Wolf Lodge or even spring time in Hershey Park.  But that's only if our little buddy gets better. We may even just climb the rock  at REI and call it an adventure day!

My witty brother Aaron told me that I should not ever let Austin live down the fact that he took the Disney trip away from us.  I love you Aaron.  

April Fools!

I took this idea from a friend of mine who did it last year to her kids.  Too good to pass up!  I was up to no good on April Fool's eve...prancing around in excitement with my marker and flashlight.  

When Austin woke up the next morning he asked me if I had done this to his face and I yelled April Fools!  He looked at me absolutely shocked . Like, moms aren't supposed to do things like this!  

But sometimes we are.  

Tattoos

My parents gave Austin an airbrush tattoo kit when they were visiting.  So we all have Tats all over our bodies!  So fun. 

My mom leaves tomorrow, (sniff sniff).  It seems like no matter how much time we spend together, it's never enough.  We even checked out retirement communities at Heritage Hunt and Dominion Valley for them.

Although they have certain specs for their retirement: Must be warm, grandkids nearby, (we're spread all throughout the States and soon to be overseas,) not a lot of traffic, good Dr.'s close by, etc.  I don't know if they'll ever find the perfect place.  

We've loved having Grandma and Pop here!

Pete Carroll and Jay Leno

Condoleezza Rice was on the tonight show with Jay Leno, therefore lucky Jonathan was on the show too!  The show was aired on March 24.  Below, Jonathan got to eat breakfast with Pete Caroll who is dear in our hearts (coach of the USC football team!)  Lucky man.  

Grandma Rocks!

Grandma loves to do things with the kids.  She was the perfect homemaker/Mom while I was growing up and now she's doing the same thing as a Grandma for my kiddos.  My mom got a degree in Art and landscaping.  She has a great eye for these things.  She had the opportunity to go with me today to volunteer in Austin's class to paint paper maiche globes.  Mom was helping all the kids and it was wonderful.  It was so nice to have her there-Austin was so proud!

She also does fun crafts with the kids...makes homemade bread (they love beating the loaves with their hands and they get all sticky and messy with flour--so cool!) And she reads with them, draws with them, does all sorts of projects, and most of all holds them and cuddles.  She's a great cuddler.  I still love cuddling with my mom at the age of 33.  I love you Mom!  

Kids Choice Awards

The Mountain  View Elementary School's Talent Show 2009 was called the Kids Choice Awards.  Austin was a MC in it and did great!  We were so proud of him!  Ashley loved watching all the acts and was even dancing in the audience when she saw the big girls dance.  Austin said his lines perfectly and loves to be in front of an audience.  MC was the perfect job for our little man!  Way to Go Austin Boston!

SURPRISE!!

Duane wanted to hear Austin in his first Talent Show (he was an MC) which he was going to miss.  So he was working in NYC and got on a shuttle and surprised us by coming home!!!  He was only home for 12 hours, but it was one of the best 12 hours we'd ever had.  It had been a month since we'd seen him last.  We love you honey!

Punk Hair

Grandma and Pop even brought pink hair color for their grandkids.  

Swimming with Pop!

Pop really gets into his role as Grandpop with his grandkids.  He wrestles with the kids, cooks for them, sings, reads, swims, rides bikes, plays soccer, makes clubhouses out of boxes...the list goes on and on with the activities that Pop does with the kiddos.  Which in turn makes my life easier! (He even took the dog out the whole time for me...ahhhh.)  

COCONUTS

Austin has always wanted to buy a coconut at the store.  I've never done this only because I don't really know the proper way to drain/crack the beast.  So Pop did it.  I remember Dad cracking coconuts while we were kids and we'd think it was so fun.  So we went to Wegmans and Austin picked the biggest coconut he could then Pop and he cracked away!